Abstract:
In this article, the spirituality and the memorialisation of the dead of the Durban Concentration
Camps during the South African War (1899-1902) are analysed diachronically. As a study in
micro-history, primary and secondary sources were used. Four clear memorialisation events
were recognised: external British Imperial memorisation by means of obelisks that spiritually
honoured Empire; Afrikaner Christian Nationalist memorisation that celebrated symbolic
victory over the British Empire; rededication of the memorials in the inclusive spirit of the ‘new’
South Africa; and the partial abandonment of physical memorisation for remembering and
honouring the dead in a virtual world. Each of these events offered its own seen and unseen
forms of spirituality and understanding.
